ustxtxb_obs_1977_03_11_50_00023-00000_000.pdf

How a coal , slurry pipeline can help create new job opportunities in Texas. exas has one of the strongest, most exciting economies in the nation. New v. companies, that provide new jobs, are attracted here every day. One of the reasons for this strength has been our abundant supply of energy. But that picture is changing. In fact, within a few years, we may change our position from the country’s largest exporter of energy to the largest importer. And the energy we’ll be importing is coal, the only immediately available substitute for oil and gas. There are two feasible ways to bring coal from the western states to Texas. One is by rail. Railroads are expected to be bringing about 60 million tons of coal a year to Texas by 1985. To gear up for that task will take a lot of railroad money. And the price they’ll charge to deliver coal will increase right along with the inflation of materials and wages to maintain their system. The other way to transport coal is through a coal slurry pipeline where coal is crushed to about the size of sugar, mixed with water, and pumped through the line just like oil and other petroleum products. The coal slurry pipeline has some distinct advantages. Over the long haul, it can deliver coal more economically than a railroad because its big costs are in building the line. Once it’s complete, it’s far less subject to inflation. It’s also underground so there’s no added nuisance on the surface. The only way for us to keep our state’s economy strong enough to provide the new job opportunities that we’ve become famous for is to develop every means of coal transportation that exists. Consider the alternatives. Coal slurry pipelines: Safe, silent, productive. Slurry Transport Association \(-1